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Facility Management at its Best

“Leadership is important to InsideIQ firms, which are all independent, locally-owned industry leaders in their respective communities."

News from InsideIQ | Jan 05, 2017

The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery (WID) serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison. In collaboration with a team of stakeholders, CBRE|ESI created an intelligent, adaptive building systems architecture to ensure the facility would evolve to meet the needs of scientific research for the next 100 years. A leading systems integrator and provider of energy management services, Brookfield, Wis.-based CBRE|ESI is a member of The InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance, an international alliance of independent building automation contractors.

From concept to completion, the design of the 300,000-sq.ft. building was intended to create an environment that would advance important, one-of-a-kind scientific research.CBRE|ESI showed its leadership by taking on this project rather than passing it by.

Research conducted at the WID extends across biotechnology, nanotechnology, and information technologies, with the goal of developing new biomedical treatments and technological applications aimed at improving human health and welfare. From concept to completion, the design of the 300,000-sq.ft. building was intended to create an environment that would advance important, one-of-a-kind scientific research.CBRE|ESI showed its leadership by taking on this project rather than passing it by.

PROFILE ENHACEMENT TIP: Tackle new technology.
“Transformational in vision and desired impact, there were few previous examples or roadmaps for those involved in making the Institutes a reality. The extensive nature of this project required the integration of numerous disparate subsystems, allowing for communication across platforms,” said Paul Oswald, managing director of CBRE|ESI. “Regardless of who manufactured the lab temperature monitor or the solar hot water system, all systems needed to be integrated to ensure sustainability and efficiency goals were met.”

PROFILE ENHANCEMENT TIP: Become familiar with energy management at the operational level.
Examples of the integration required include water reclamation, power usage, and lighting levels, fume hood controls and shades, among many other systems. To achieve the WID’s goals of significantly reducing energy and water usage compared to a typical UW-Madison research facility, project planners felt scientists would need ready access to information and energy consumption data. As a result, The CBRE|ESI integration provides WID stakeholders with the ability to retrieve data across platforms, enabling them to unlock islands of information, measure the impact of their actions within the facility and thereby manage its consumption patterns.

Furthermore, the integrated building automation system (BAS) architecture eliminated redundant user interfaces to reduce or eliminate licensing fees and corresponding training costs. Integrated control strategies were designed to increase energy efficiency and optimize operations. The architecture also provides a platform for advanced software applications, such as fault detection diagnostics and energy benchmarking and analysis, which will have a positive impact on facility operations.

The architecture also provides a platform for advanced software applications, such as fault detection diagnostics and energy benchmarking and analysis, which will have a positive impact on facility operations.

“Creating a building designed to evolve over the next 100 years certainly is unusual,” said Scott Derby, president of the InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance and vice president of Buffalo, N.Y.-based SmartEdge. “By trusting in the insight and expertise of a member of InsideIQ like CBRE|ESI, the WID research facility obtained a sophisticated, adaptive BAS that integrates all the independent subsystems in order to achieve sustainability and energy efficiency goals.”

PROFILE ENHANCEMENT TIP: Engineering that helps client derive many benefits.
The systems integration completed by CBRE|ESI has impacted WID facility operations through:
• Initial cost avoidance by using an integrated system architecture versus separate systems
• Building life-cycle cost savings through reduced software and system support because of the integrated building system architecture
• Operational savings through a single user interface and integrated information.

According to George Austin, WARF’s Project Director for the development of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, CBRE|ESI’s flexibility, staffing and technical capacity played a significant role in delivering on their promise of a successful integrated building system.

“CBRE|ESI understood fundamentally what we were trying to achieve here,” Austin said. “We definitely benefited from having their expertise at the table during what we called the co-development process, which involved numerous stakeholders’ ideas and needs. CBRE|ESI proved it could listen to the needs of scientists, project developers and a multitude of other stakeholders. Equally impressive is their ability to translate those big ideas into plans that could be implemented.”

Leadership Development at Baker Group

PROFILE ENHANCEMENT TIP: Devote time and money to developing leaders.
Mechanical contractor Baker Group is grooming its future leaders through an Advanced Leadership Development program. A member of the InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance, Baker Group provides employees with exceptional training opportunities, including this leadership training to build Baker Group’s leaders for the future.

This leadership initiative focuses on growing each participant to their greatest potential and to build Baker Group’s leadership bench strength for the future. It’s the latest addition to Baker Group University, a comprehensive education effort to assure that Baker Group’s reputation of reliability continues. A member of the InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance, Baker Group provides employees with exceptional training opportunities, a commitment common to members of InsideIQ, an international alliance of independent building automation contractors.

“Leadership is important to InsideIQ firms, which are all independent, locally-owned industry leaders in their respective communities,” said Leroy Walden, president of the InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance and vice president of Atlanta-based McKenney’s Inc. “Our members are advocates for their customers, leading them to the best solutions to achieve their facility automation, security or sustainability goals. Baker Group’s commitment to training new leaders exemplifies the forward thinking of InsideIQ companies.”

PROFILE ENHANCEMENT TIP: Leadership includes learning.
“Baker Group encourages our staff members to be life-long learners,” said BJ Baker, chairman and CEO of Baker Group. “Just as our team has confidence in their technical skills, we are also providing the tools required to succeed in leadership roles. By providing these opportunities we are not only improving service to our clients, but also overcoming the loss of an aging workforce. We want to attract, retain, and develop our next generation of industry leaders.”

PROFILE ENHANCEMENT TIP: Know that there are many facets to leadership beyond ‘giving orders’
Baker Group chose 16 staff members to complete the intensive Advanced Leadership Development track within Baker Group University professional development program.
The objective of the training is to:
• Engage and inspire high potential leaders
• Enhance leaders’ self-awareness
• Develop leadership and management skills for today and the future
• Build camaraderie and a sense of cross-functional “team”
• Mitigate risks of talent disengagement and/or loss of talent
• Stand out as professional leaders.
• Assure transition of leadership to the next generation.

“The long-term measure of the program’s success will be a future leadership team that is even more successful than past and current leaders,” Baker said.

Baker Group’s Advanced Leadership Development training was created by Kiley and Company, Leadership and Coaching Consultants based in Warren, R I. thebakergroup.com